Archive for June 6th, 2012

This was a debate on March 21, 2012 at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA. It was sponsored by the Freethinkers at Virginia Tech, Leopard Zeus Fan Club, Ask Big Questions at Virginia Tech, and the Department of Philosophy at Liberty University.

Definition: God’s gift, the call of the Gospel, whereby a person can come out of bondage and can now become an authentic self.

More about the term: This was predominately advocated and used by Rudolph Bultmann. Kerygma is the means by which one can come back to his or herself into authenticity out from the fallen self. It allows for the transition from seeking to establish a worldly security leading to the one’s desire to live totally unto God. The kerygma is given as a gift. It is the power to overcome inauthenticity, estrangement, and the ability to obey the Gospel call and to obey God.

The following is a guest post by Nicole Davis. Nicole is a senior at Liberty University where she is pursuing a history degree. Her interests include political science and the conservative movement. She is a committed Christian, hoping to use the experiences God has given her to disciple others and build up the effectiveness of the church.

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One of the surface problems people seem to have with Christianity is the inconsistent behavior of Christians. The widespread hypocrisy among them is, I admit, unfortunately repulsive. People who are supposed to be mini-Christs are often found to be hurting their reputation rather than making it an inducement for proselytes. Indeed, people are not perfect, but serious Christians realize the need to be as Christ-like as possible. After all, what are disciples without their striving to exemplify their teacher?

I have concluded that one of the great errors of practice among Christians is that they misapply their focus in comparing themselves to lesser standards like their own pasts or the people around them. Yet with all this work, true contentment within the Christian life or attainment of that lofty goal is unsatisfying and impossible. Overcoming your faults or not making the same mistakes as others is somewhat admirable, but implementing the heart of Christ is much more to be desired. Jesus pronounced that “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”(Luke 12.34). If Christ were the treasure that Christians seek, they would be far better on their way to Christ-likeness than if they continue to seek self-betterment or one-upping their peers.